Volunteers give back by cleaning up the Poudre Trail in Greeley

The mirror of Bob Glover's bike catches him hard at work on Saturday, cleaning up the Poudre Trail near 95th Avenue west of Greeley. The Poudre Trail was accepting volunteers to help clean the trail after it was damaged and riddled with debris from the recent flooding. An area of the trail remained closed until major repairs are complete, however, the trail is returning to normal, according to trail manager Tom Selders.

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The volunteer cleanup session for the Poudre Trail was an opportunity for regular visitors to give back to the trail.

Holly May of Briggsdale, showed up bright and early Saturday, ready to help pull weeds out of a fence at the trail area and clean the pathway.

“I decided to come out and help because I felt that I had used the trail a lot but, I had never given back, so here I am,” May said.

Volunteers contacted Tom Selders, trail manager, a day prior to the cleanup and about 25 people turned out to help clean up dirt and debris after the floods of last fall and this spring.

“(The amount of people) volunteering today is a really good number to work with,” Selders said. “We can easily designate volunteers to the different cleaning assignments we planned for today and there is enough tools for everyone.”

Volunteers were ready for a day in the sun with sunscreen and mosquito repellent in one hand and plenty of water and snacks in the other.

Volunteers trimmed the grass, picked up trash gathered from wind and flood debris and swept the trail clean of any mud that had built up. They spread throughout the west side of the trail that connects with the Poudre Learning Center, 8313 W. F St., in Greeley. The trail management offered them tools, water and snack.

Selders said since the trail’s completion five years ago, management has developed a volunteer program for the conservation of the area.

“We rely heavily on our volunteers to maintain our trail since the Poudre Trail operates as a nonprofit, and we don’t have a lot of money for things to be done,” Selders said.

Along with volunteers, other pedestrians were seen walking and biking the trail since it had been closed because of flood waters and re-opened just last Thursday.

Bob Glover of Greeley said he uses the trail a lot, as he bikes twice a week in the morning. He said the trail offers people a great alternative way to get their exercise.

“It keeps people off the streets,” he said as he shoveled mud off the trail-way. “It is a lot safer than riding on the streets, specially around Greeley because the county roads around the city don’t have any shoulder trails on them.”

The Poudre Trail’s biggest issue during the summer is the weeds that grow continuously, but Selders said constant volunteers are always watchful and willing to go out through out the season and continue the maintenance. He also said he is thankful to those volunteers because the Poudre Trail is great for the community.

“It is a fantastic asset for us. I have people — all the time — comment on how much they enjoy the trail and they thing is one of the best things we have going for us in northern Colorado,” Selders said.

For May, the opportunity to give back to the trail was also a time that she enjoyed.

“I love yard work and gardening and so today is not bad at all,” May said.